Central Idea

• Unpaid care work, predominantly performed by women, plays a crucial role in the well-being of families and contributes significantly to a country’s economy. However, it often goes unrecognized and undervalued, leading to gender inequality and economic implications. On this Mother’s day and beyond it is necessary to introspect and change the attitudes towards the women’s role of essential well being.

The Importance of Unpaid Care Work

• Daily chores essential for their well-being: Unpaid care work encompasses daily chores, such as cleaning, cooking, and tending to the needs of family members, which are essential for their well-being.
• Crucial contribution: It accounts for a substantial portion of a country’s GDP, ranging from 10 to 39 percent according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and 7.5 percent in India, as per the State Bank of India report.

Implications of Unpaid Care Work

• Gender Inequality: Unpaid care work reinforces traditional gender roles and perpetuates gender inequality. The unequal distribution of caregiving and domestic responsibilities limits women’s opportunities for education, employment, and advancement, creating a cycle of economic and social disadvantage.
• Economic Invisibility: Unpaid care work is often invisible in economic systems and measurements, such as GDP calculations. This invisibility devalues the contributions of caregivers and neglects the economic significance of care work, leading to an underestimation of women’s economic contributions.
• Economic Loss and Reduced Income: The time and energy spent on unpaid care work can limit women’s ability to engage in paid employment or pursue economic opportunities. This leads to reduced income potential and financial dependence, contributing to income inequality between men and women.
• Limited Time for Personal Development: The significant time and effort devoted to unpaid care work leave women with limited time for personal development, education, skills training, and leisure activities. This constrains their ability to pursue individual goals and self-fulfillment.
• Health and Well-being: The burden of unpaid care work can have adverse effects on women’s physical and mental health. The constant juggling of caregiving responsibilities, household chores, and other duties can lead to stress, fatigue, and burnout, negatively impacting well-being.
• Education and Professional Advancement: The unequal distribution of care work can hinder women’s educational opportunities and limit their ability to pursue higher education or career advancement. This perpetuates a cycle of limited professional growth and fewer leadership roles for women.
• Workforce Gender Gap: Unpaid care work affects women’s participation in the formal labor force. The time constraints and caregiving responsibilities make it challenging for women to engage in paid employment, contributing to the gender gap in workforce participation and representation.
• Social and Intergenerational Impact: The gendered division of unpaid care work can reinforce traditional gender norms and perpetuate inequality across generations. Children growing up in households where women bear the majority of care work may internalize and replicate these gendered roles in their own lives.
• Policy and Societal Implications: The undervaluation and invisibility of unpaid care work hinder the formulation of effective policies and social structures that support caregivers. Lack of recognition and support can perpetuate gender inequality and limit progress towards gender-responsive policies and systems.

Gendered Division of Labor: Reasons and impact

• Historical and Cultural Norms: Deeply ingrained historical and cultural norms shape societal expectations regarding gender roles. Traditional gender norms often dictate that women should be primarily responsible for caregiving and domestic chores, while men are expected to engage in paid work outside the home.
• Gender Stereotypes and Expectations: Stereotypical beliefs about men’s and women’s inherent abilities and inclinations influence societal expectations regarding work and family responsibilities. Stereotypes portraying women as nurturing, emotional, and inclined towards caregiving, and men as strong, assertive, and suited for paid employment, contribute to the gendered division of labor.
• Economic Factors and Structural Inequality: Structural inequalities in the labor market, such as gender wage gaps and limited opportunities for women’s advancement, create economic barriers for women. The undervaluation of traditionally female-dominated sectors contributes to the devaluation of women’s labor and reinforces the gendered division of labor.
• Socialization and Education: Socialization processes from an early age play a crucial role in shaping gender roles and expectations. Children are often socialized into specific gender roles through various channels, including family, education, media, and peer influences.
• Family Dynamics and Household Responsibilities: Within the family unit women are frequently assigned the bulk of caregiving and domestic tasks, regardless of their employment status. Unequal distribution of household chores and caregiving responsibilities creates a cycle where women’s time and energy are disproportionately dedicated to unpaid work, limiting their opportunities for paid employment and career advancement.
• Power Dynamics and Patriarchy: Patriarchy grants men greater authority and control over resources, while women’s labor is often devalued and overlooked. These power dynamics reinforce traditional gender roles and limit women’s ability to challenge or negotiate their participation in different spheres of life, including work and family.

Way ahead: Need for Redefining Societal Attitudes

• Recognizing the Value of Care Work: Unpaid care work is essential for the well-being and functioning of families and societies. It is important to acknowledge and value the contributions of caregivers, particularly women, as their work has significant economic, social, and emotional implications.
• Challenging Gender Stereotypes: Societal attitudes often reinforce traditional gender roles, where caregiving is seen as primarily women’s responsibility. Redefining attitudes involves challenging these stereotypes and promoting the idea that caregiving should be shared by all members of the family, regardless of their gender.
• Promoting Gender Equality: Redefining societal attitudes towards care work is crucial for promoting gender equality. It involves recognizing that caregiving is not solely a woman’s duty but a shared responsibility between partners, families, and society as a whole.
• Empowering Women: By redefining societal attitudes, women can be empowered to pursue their educational, professional, and personal aspirations. When the burden of unpaid care work is shared more equitably, women have the opportunity to participate fully in the workforce, contribute to economic growth, and exercise their rights and choices.
• Breaking the Cycle of Gendered Division of Labor: Redefining societal attitudes helps break the cycle of gendered division of labor, where women are primarily responsible for unpaid care work. It encourages men to take an active role in caregiving, fostering a more balanced and equitable distribution of responsibilities within households.
• Creating Supportive Environments: Redefining societal attitudes also involves creating supportive environments that facilitate and value caregiving responsibilities. This includes workplace policies that enable work-life balance, access to affordable and quality childcare facilities, and social systems that recognize and support caregivers.
• Building Inclusive and Progressive Societies: Societal attitudes towards care work reflect broader social norms and values. By redefining these attitudes, societies can become more inclusive, progressive, and equitable, where the contributions of all individuals, irrespective of their gender or caregiving roles, are valued and respected.

Conclusion

• On Mother’s Day and beyond, it is crucial to acknowledge and appreciate the work done by women, transcending the singular role of mothers or caregivers. Collective efforts are needed to challenge and change societal attitudes that neglect the rights of women and perpetuate gender inequality.

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Context

• On the occasion of the 75th year of India’s independence, the Prime Minister articulated a bold vision that in the coming 25 years, “Nari Shakti” would play a vital role in India’s socio-economic developmental journey.

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Background: Status of women In India

• Elevated status in ancient texts and thoughts: Culturally and mythologically, women have enjoyed an elevated status in India. For example, it is mentioned in the Kena Upanishad that it was the goddess Uma who enlightened the three powerful but ignorant gods, Indra, Vayu, and Agni, to the profound mystery of Brahman.
• Experience of women in modern era is far from ideal: Women have faced discrimination in the household and at jobs, and for a long time, they were victims of political indifference and neglect.
• Recognizing the Nari Shakti: In recent decades, “Nari Shakti” has been reasserted through micro and silent revolutions. There are some silent women-led changes transforming our society politically and economically But there is need to highlight the challenges that remain in women fulfilling their true potential as modern nation-builders of India.

Nari Shakti The silent revolution: Role of Women in Indian democracy

• Gender gap in voter turnout is diminishing rapidly as women often exceeds male voter turnout: Research on women voters using historical data has revealed that since 2010, the gender gap in voter turnout has diminished significantly and the recent trends show women voter turnout often exceeds male voter turnout. This massive increase is a nationwide phenomenon and is also observed in less developed regions of the country where traditionally, the status of women has been significantly lower.
• Dramatic increase in women contesting election particularly in panchayat level: Since 2010, many more women have been contesting elections. To put this in perspective, in the 1950s, in the state assembly elections, women contested elections in approximately 7 per cent of the constituencies, but by the 2010s, women were competing in 54 per cent of the constituencies. This is particularly remarkable at the grass roots panchayat level where 50 per cent seats have been reserved for women for over a decade now.

Results of this positive change

• Women voters can no longer be neglected or marginalized: A key implication of this is that women voters can no longer be marginalised or neglected; they demand respect and command attention.
• Political entrepreneurs compelled to address women issues: This silent revolution has compelled political entrepreneurs and grounded leaders to design policies addressing issues that women care about. It is not surprising that some of the most dramatic policy changes concerning poverty reduction since 2015-16 have been in the form of networking of households across the nation through amenities such as cooking fuel, sanitation, water, and electricity. These are also the key drivers of long-term economic growth.
• Rising women voters compelled political parties to make law and order a critical issue: In less developed regions where women and children have been the biggest victims of lawlessness, the silent revolution of rising women voters has compelled political parties to make law and order a critical political issue.
• Positive response by political parties: Political parties and leaders are now responding to this by improving access and affordability to basic needs of ordinary people like amenities and infrastructure rather than focusing on the rhetoric of caste and communalism. This is in sharp contrast to the “democratic recession” that is being experienced in the rest of the world.

Challenges ahead

• Women employment a biggest challenge: According to World Bank data, the female labour force participation rate has declined from 32 per cent in 2005 to 19 per cent in 2022. Labour force participation does not consider unpaid domestic services, which include household services such as taking care of the children and the elderly.
• More hours spent is in unpaid domestic services: Our research based on data from the time use surveys in India in 2018–19 reveals that women in the age group of 25 to 59 years spend approximately seven hours daily in unpaid domestic services.
• Double burden of working is one of the reasons behind decline of women labour participation: Double burden of working women perhaps is one of the critical reasons for the decline in the women’s labour force participation rate. In sharp contrast, working or non-working men in the same age group spend less than 45 minutes on unpaid domestic or caregiving services.
• Declined fertility rate: Fertility rates have declined dramatically below the replacement rate, the share of the ageing population has increased, and there is an alarming increase in the percentage of kinless elderly.

Did you know Baumol Cost Disease?

• The care industry is labour-intensive and, therefore, subject to Baumol Cost Disease, implying that the cost of providing care would keep rising over time.

Way ahead

• On labour force participation: It is essential to look at the experience of advanced countries, where increased participation of women in the labour force has come at the expense of family structure.
• On dynamics of household and elderly care, sharing burden by men is a necessity: If we want more women to participate in the labour force, and at the same time preserve the family structure, then men would have to share the burden of unpaid domestic services. This would require a break from tradition and the creation of new modern narratives and myths.

Conclusion

• As India takes over the presidency of G20, it is an occasion to celebrate “Nari Shakti” and political empowerment a stupendous increase in women voter turnout in the decade has strengthened and made our democracy more progressive. Women’s political empowerment has been a bottom-up revolution in India and holds lessons for other countries.

Mains question

Q. Culturally and mythologically, women hold a high position in India. However, there are still challenges in women fulfilling their true potential as India’s modern nation-builders. Discuss.

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Context

• Due to prevalence of patriarchy women have been discriminated not only in India but in most parts of the world. According to The United Nations, one out of every three women experience domestic violence. The same UN report suggests that the most dangerous place for women is their home. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.

How UN women defines Violence against women and girls

• Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

Why Women are the victim?

• Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by women globally.
• Women are usually the victim of domestic violence that derives from unequal power relationships between men and women.

Why there is recent spike in violence against women?

• According to UN, Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the world.
• Conditions created by the pandemic – including lockdowns, reduced mobility, heightened isolation, stress and economic uncertainty have led to an alarming spike in domestic violence and have further exposed women and girls to other forms of violence, from child marriage to sexual harassment online.

What is Domestic violence?

• Domestic violence is any pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It encompasses all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.
• Domestic violence can include the following.
  • Psychological violence: Psychological violence involves causing fear, threatening physical harm or forcing isolation from friends, family, school or work.
  • Economic violence: Making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources.
• Emotional violence: Undermining a person’s sense of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one’s abilities; verbal abuse.
• Physical violence: Use of Physical force or hurting or trying to hurt a partner .it also includes denying medical care.
• Sexual violence: Forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent

What is the current Status in India?

• Nearly one-third of women in India have experienced physical or sexual violence
• The most common type of spousal violence is physical violence (28%), followed by emotional violence and sexual violence
• While domestic violence against women has declined from 31.2% to 29.3% in the country, 30% women between the age of 18 and 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 years, while 6% have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime,.
• Only 14% of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence by anyone have brought the issue up.
• 32% of married women (18-49 years) have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence.

Recent findings from National Family health Survey Report-5

• Status: Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka at 48%, followed by Bihar, Telangana, Manipur and Tamil Nadu. Lakshawdeep has the least domestic violence at 2.1%.
• Rural–urban difference: Physical violence is more common among women in rural areas (32%) as compared to their urban areas (24%).
• Impact of schooling and education: 40% women with no schooling are subject to physical violence compared to 18% who completed their schooling.
• Impact of employment and wealth: The experience of physical violence ranges between 39% among women in the lowest wealth quintile and 17% in the highest wealth quintile.

 Why women left behind as compared to men in India?

• Patriarchal structure: Patriarchal structures and ideologies and the mindset lead to women subordination and gender inequalities
• Low sex ratio: Sex ratios for women in India Is not good comparatively. It was even bad at the time of independence.
• Life expectancy: Women’s life expectancy, health, nutritional levels are significantly lower than that of men.
• Education: low investment on girl education, Girl children are kept out of schools, or made drop out of school at early age, girl is considered as burden on family in many societies.
• Employment: even if they are educated they are not allowed to work by their families Discrimination at the workplaces, lower wages for the work of equal value.
• Decision making: The have little say in the families, socio economic, legal and political rules and policy formulations. Very limited or no decision making power.
• Political participation: The participation of women in political and social decision making power is abysmally low. Their number in parliament has never exceeded more than 10%.

What can be done for empowering women?

• Recognition: Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. We need to change the way they are perceived.
• Treatment: They must not be only treated only as objects of welfare but needed to be treated as those who are contributing to the economy.
• Health: To provide quality and affordable healthcare and must be easily accessible.
• Education: Education of women is the most important component for women’s empowerment.
• Safe and secure environment: providing safety and security is the precondition for empowerment and social justice.
• Economic Independence: Helping women to stand on their legs, become independent and also to earn for their family is necessary to empowering women and to raise their hand in decision making process of family, society and nation

Woman as the foundation stone of every family, society and nation

• India has an ancient woman worship tradition.
• In India we see woman as a mother goddess. There are no of evidences to support this idea
• For instance the Sanskrit text “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata”which means where women are honored, there gods resides.
• Which means there is a overall development if the women of the family is happy.

Conclusion

• Domestic violence against women is major obstacle on progress on achieving development targets. Without addressing it, anybody have little chance of meeting millennium development. Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.

Mains Question

Q. Empowering women on every front is the pre-condition for the overall development of the nation. Discuss.

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Context

• According to available UNESCO data on some selected countries, India is at the lowest position, having only 14% female researchers working in STEM areas highlighting the presence of glass ceiling.

What is glass ceiling?

• A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents women from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. The metaphor was first coined by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women.

What Is a Gender-equal Society?

• A society in which both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities in all fields as equal partners, and be able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits equally as well as to share responsibilities.

How glass ceiling limits women progress?